A rear guard can be mounted to a vehicle and/or a trailer to at least partially absorb the impact of a collision with another vehicle. For example, in a rear-end collision when a striking vehicle collides with the rear of a vehicle and/or trailer having a rear guard, the rear guard can limit travel of the striking vehicle under and/or into the vehicle and/or trailer having the rear guard. Accordingly, the rear guard can provide a safety mechanism that seeks to reduce the incidence and/or severity of injuries and/or damage sustained during a rear-end collision.
In certain jurisdictions, regulations govern the use and/or standards of rear guards. For example, in the United States, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 223 (hereinafter “U.S. Standard 223”) and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 224, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties, specifies requirements for rear impact guards for trailers and semitrailers. U.S. Standard 223 sets forth requirements related to the dimensions of the rear guard, the strength and energy absorption of the rear guard, labeling of the rear guard, and hardware and installation instruction requirements. For example, U.S. Standard 223 requires a rear guard to absorb by plastic deformation at least 5,650 J of energy within the first 125 mm of deflection at a certain location on the guard. U.S. Standard 223 also requires the rear guard to resist various forces without deflecting by more than 125 mm. Other jurisdictions also govern the use and standards of rear guards. For example, in Canada, the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulation Standard 223 (hereinafter “Canadian Standard 223), which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, specifies requirements for rear impact guards for trailers and semitrailers. Canadian Standard 223 requires a rear impact guard to absorb by plastic deformation at least 20 kJ of energy within the first 125 mm of deflection. Canadian Standard 223 also requires rear impact guards to withstand a force of 350 kN. Additional requirements of U.S. Standard 223 and Canadian Standard 223 are set forth herein and described with particularity in the Standards themselves, which have been incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties. The various regulations governing rear guards often aim to soften the impact of a collision to protect the occupant(s) and/or load(s) while controlling travel of the striking vehicle relative to the rear guard.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate various aspects of the related art in the field of the invention at the time, and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.